Voices of Realities Past
by Gwydion
Summary: Strange dreams plague Matt nightly while his fellow Digidestined prepare for battle with Piedmon. But when the answers in the dreams only lead to more questions, will he continue the path of a Chosen or turn against those he's befriended?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon - merely some old VHS tapes with poor quality video and sound.

**Voices of Realities Past **

**Chapter 1**

_What? Wh-what do you mean? Th-that can't be! Is this some sick joke? It's just... not possible... It can't be true... It just can't be true!_

* * *

Matt slowly awoke as a chill wind blew over him. The hard ground beneath him felt cold and damp with morning dew. He shivered, suddenly wishing he were still asleep, despite the dreams that plagued him nightly. Ever since he'd left his fellow Digidestined to travel alone, find his own path, whenever he managed to drift off he would hear the same voice, feel the same overwhelming confusion and sadness wash over him. But as soon as conciousness returned, only the mood of the dreams remained, the words and tone of voice gone from his memory, leaving him feeling drained rather than refreshed.

Except for today. This morning he was also able to recall simple words and phrases, though the identity of the voice still remained a mystery. Considering the regularity of the dreams, he had begun wondering if it had been something he had once said. It seemed possible, though he couldn't understand why he had problems remembering the dreams when he woke up every morning if that were the case. He recalled that Izzy had once talked about repressed memories. Could that be the reason? Or was it really just simply a dream that haunted his nights?

Shaking his head and attempting to ignore the feelings that remained as he did every morning, the young Digidestined sat up and looked over at his sleeping partner. Matt found no reason to wake him as they still had no final destination. They'd been wandering aimlessly for a while now; he'd lost count of the days since he'd set out on his own. And yet he had come upon no answers to any of his questions, which only served to trouble his thoughts further. He pushed that thought aside as he surveyed the surrounding area. He blinked as he suddenly noticed that something seemed different. He looked in the direction of Spiral Mountain; yet another section of the grotesquely twisted peak had disappeared.

"They defeated Machinedramon, huh?" he mused softly as he leaned back against a gnarled tree. That left only one mega digimon to deal with. Piedmon, the last of the Dark Masters, would be waiting atop that mountain for the final battle, a battle he knew he should help fight.

The boy thought back on what the digital being had told them while borrowing Kari's body only days ago. He was truly grateful for the explanation, yet as he thought on it more and more, there just seemed to be too many holes, too many times when the being itself didn't have any answers. The beings hadn't known what the information they had gathered from each of them had meant, but they knew that it deemed them capable of saving the Digital World? His blue eyes narrowed as his mind cycled through the familiar questions that had been plaguing his mind, wondering briefly if all of his stress and confusion had been what triggered his dreams in the first place.

"Matt, you should have woken me up," came a groggy voice from only a few feet away.

The Digidestined looked over at his partner who was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Gabumon stretched while letting out a loud yawn. Blinking he tiredly glanced at Spiral Mountain. After a moment of staring blankly, a confused look crossed his face as his eyes narrowed. Bewilderment was quickly replaced with a look of cheerful surprise.

"Hey Matt! Tai and the others must have defeated Machinedramon!" He saw his partner nod his agreement. His sudden happiness quickly vanished as he peered at the meloncholy boy. He knew that Matt was aware of just what significance that discovery had on them, but he was afraid to voice what was really in his heart. The Child of Friendship had been strangely silent since they had defeated Puppetmon and had since seemed to avoid the remaining Dark Masters at all cost. Hesitantly, he added, "That only leaves Piedmon, the strongest -"

"I think we should get going," Matt said abruptly, quickly rising to his feet. Deliberately turning away from the mountain looming in the distance, he began walking across the rocky ground, his partner following closely behind, a worried expression on his face.

* * *

They were getting close; he could feel it. The chill wind that blew across his face, that strange tingling that started at the base of his neck and traveled throughout his entire body, all were signs of it. The last Dark Master was waiting for them at the top of the very mountain they were climbing.

And that thought only made the young leader more uneasy.

As much as he wanted to finally take down the only remaining threat to both the Digital World and his own, Tai couldn't help but be worried. Some of the Digidestined were still absent and if what they had been told was true, he would soon be needing those missing members - they were all needed. But he had no way of contacting them and only a few people in his current party. Would the others make the same trip up Spiral Mountain to find them? Would they even know where to look? No, he had to stop thinking like that. He had to have faith in his friends. He glanced down at Koromon resting in his arms and then back at the their little group consisting of four other Digidestined and their partners as well as Andromon, all silent save the tapping coming from Izzy as he stared intently at his laptop's screen.

"Hey Izzy, whatcha working on?" Tai asked curiously, trying to keep his mind off of what he knew was up ahead. Apparently Sora, TK, and Kari all had the same idea as they too turned to look at the Child of Knowledge, waiting for his answer.

Head still buried in his computer, the young genius replied, "I'm trying to figure out exactly how far from Spiral Mountain's peak we are at the moment. If it's too much farther we may need to rest first to gather our strength before taking on the last of the Dark Masters." The boy continued his typing as if he hadn't just been interrupted. Apparently this was his way of easing his worries - analyzing the situation to make sure they would all be in the best possible position when the time came to fight. Tai couldn't help but smile at his friend's efforts.

"How much longer is it?" asked TK, Patamon perched atop his head.

"Well, according to my calculations, if we continue on at our current pace, we are approximately one hour and twenty-four minutes away," he answered matter-of-factly.

Slowing her pace so that she was walking with him, Sora peeked over the boy's shoulder. On the screen what appeared to be a three dimensional map of Spiral Mountain rotated lazily around and around. "How can you tell?" she asked, "Do you know where we are right now from that map?" She didn't see any flashing lights indicating their location.

The young boy pointed at the screen right under the top of the mountain and then returned to typing as if that were explanation enough, deep in thought. Sora blinked and tried to look harder at the spot her friend had specified but still saw nothing. But Izzy had never steered them wrong in the past with his digital maps. She looked up at Tai who was watching her and shrugged.

"Anyway, so we have about an hour and a half, huh? I say we just keep walking. The sooner we take down that clown the better!" declared their leader. He knew that he hadn't sounded as confident as he had meant to, but the emphatic "Yeah!" from Koromon made him smile nonetheless.

Kari fell into step next to her older brother and put her hand in his. "We can do it!" she said with a bright smile, that ever-present glow that just seemed to emanate from her giving those around her a slight boost of confidence. The Crest of Light couldn't have been given to a more suitable candidate. Giving her hand a slight squeeze, Tai nodded and turned his attention back to their current problem.

"Now just how do I get ahold of the others?"

* * *

_No, something's wrong! This - this wasn't supposed to happen! But it was perfect! What could have possibly gone wrong?

* * *

_

"Matt, are you sure you're alright?"

"I told you, I'm fine. I just haven't been sleeping well recently."

Gabumon stared anxiously at his partner. A short while ago he had forced the blonde to sit and rest when he noticed his harsh breathing and stumbling steps. Once he had finally gotten his partner to heed his words, it only took a few minutes before the boy had fallen asleep. But it wasn't until Matt had woken with a start only about a half hour later that the digimon really started to worry. His partner's breathing was still heavier than normal and a pained look covered his face. When he had questioned Matt about this, the boy simply got up, insisting he didn't need to rest. His still slow, labored pace, however, was saying differently. His poor sleeping habits were having a greater effect on him than he was willing to admit out loud, and Gabumon knew it.

"Look, if something's bothering you, I think it would help if you -"

"I said I was fine, alright?" yelled Matt, turning to glare at his digimon, fists clenched. He instantly regretted it though as he noticed the hurt look on Gabumon's face. Calming down, he stood there, closed his eyes, and sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it out on you. It's just - well, I - I've been having these dreams lately." He hated saying that. It made him sound so weak. What kind of person was so deeply effected by dreams he didn't even rememeber upon waking up? But as Gabumon just simply watched him, a look of understanding dawning on his face, the boy continued. "I'm not even sure what they're about really; I always forget once I'm awake. I just get this feeling of overwhelming grief, sometimes frustration too. Well, that is, until recently."

The Child of Friendship sank to the ground, leaning against a nearby rock, his partner standing next to him. "It's this voice. I still don't know whose it is, but it always sounds so confused yet sad at the same time. I used to wake up and remember those feelings only, but lately the words have become clearer. It repeats things like 'it's not possible' or 'something went wrong', and it always ends with someone crying."

Matt ran a hand though his hair wearily, his fatigue clearly showing on his face. "I don't understand. Are they trying to tell me something? Am I subconciously trying to remember a part of my life I hid away? Or are these just normal dreams, and I'm making a big deal out of nothing?"

"Is that what you've been upset about?" asked Gabumon, "I know you wanted time to find yourself, but are these dreams distracting you? Do you think they are keeping you from finding whatever it is you are looking for?" Things were beginning to make at least a little more sense now. He had known that the boy had been having trouble sleeping, but didn't know the reason. Deep down, the digimon also knew that something was holding his partner back. Matt had, after all, gone after Puppetmon, but since then he seemed different, quieter, more meloncholy. Could it be that these dreams were affecting the boy so much?

The young Digidestined shook his head, not really sure of the answer to that question himself.

* * *

"What's that?" cried Sora pointing to the darkening sky as a female digimon floated into view. She was clad in black and had sharp, red claws that tensed with anticipation. She smirked, showing off her slim fangs.

"Welcome, children," she said in a smooth, low voice that dripped with false sweetness. "I've been expecting you." At this she licked her lips.

"That's LadyDevimon!" cried Andromon, readying himself for the fight which would surely follow, "Everyone, you must be careful."

Tai looked up nervously at the flying monster. They couldn't afford to waste their energy here! They had to be at full strength for their fight with Piedmon. He glanced around at his comrades who all looked as anxious as he did and knew he had to think of a plan of action and fast.

"Koromon digivolve to... Agumon!"

"Biyomon digivolve to... Birdramon!"

"Tentomon digivolve to... Kabuterimon!"

"Patamon digivolve to... Angemon!"

"Gatomon digivolve to... Angewomon!"

The light of their digivolutions faded and the battle had begun, Andromon taking the lead. He however was quickly swatted away by one of her large clawed hands. Birdramon and Kabuterimon attempted to attack her from afar, but she dodged with ease.

"Darkness Wave!" she screamed as dark energy shot out toward the attacking digimon. They were thrown back by the blast, but Angemon quickly answered with his Hand of Fate attack. The beam barely missed it's target, but Angewomon cried out "Celestial Arrow!" immediately following. LadyDevimon winced as the arrow grazed her side, but she suddenly smirked and flew straight toward the blonde angel.

"All right, my turn!" cried Agumon, seeing his fellow digimon in trouble, but Tai held him back.

"Wait! I've got an idea," he explained before the small dinosaur could protest. He looked back at Izzy who was watching Kabuterimon rejoin the fight, an unreadable expression on his face. "Izzy, what does the Digimon Analyzer say about her?"

The boy perked up at the call of his name, and he immediately pulled up the file. "'LadyDevimon, a fully digivolved digimon. The general of Piedmon's Nightmare Soldiers'," he read aloud.

General. That could mean only one thing. Tai breathed in deeply, realizing the end was in sight and that if they didn't do things right, their entire journey would have been for nothing. He looked back at Sora. "Sora, I want you and TK to go with Birdramon and Angemon to find Matt," he said calmly.

The girl's eyes went wide. "You want us to leave? Right in the middle of a battle?" What if something happened and they were needed? What if Piedmon showed up? The two of them should be there to help, not off searching for a needle in a haystack. But Tai merely turned back to the fight, not answering her right away.

"It's not about this fight," he said finally. He could feel all eyes on him, waiting for him to continue. "LadyDevimon is Piedmon's top fighter, why else would she be made general? Which means that, after her, all that's left is Piedmon himself. In order to defeat him, we're going to need everybody. We also need to save as much of our strength as we can. I believe that we can win this, but we can't do it alone. We need Matt, Joe, and Mimi, then the eight of us will finally be together. Only then can we hope to win."

Sora could only stare at their leader. Was this really the same Tai that had always wanted to jump into battle without more than a seconds thought? When had he grown so much? He wasn't thinking about this fight but the one that would follow, the one that would truly decide the fate of both worlds. A look of determination crossed her face as she nodded.

"Right," she answered. She then turned to TK. "Come on, TK, let's hurry and find Matt," she said with a smile. The little boy looked up at her and returned her smile. "Right!" He then turned back to the battlefield. "Angemon!" Angemon and Birdramon looked at each other and nodded upon hearing of their duty, knowing that it was for the best.

As Tai watched his friends fly away with their digimon, he added, "Agumon, we'll need you to fight Piedmon. You're the only one here who can digivolve to Mega, so we need you to save your strength."

Realization dawned on the Rookie's face. So that was why Tai hadn't let him join the fight. He nodded, and turned to watch as LadyDevimon and Angewomon fought mid-air, wishing he could help but knowing it would be foolish to do so.

Izzy smiled as Tai glanced at him and nodded his approval. This is what they needed - a strategy. Tai managed a smile back before turning once again, his eyes fixed on the battlefield.

* * *

"Matt?"

Gabumon waited for his partner to acknowledge him, but the boy simply continued on his way as if he hadn't even heard his partner speak. The digimon was beginning to grow anxious. When the two of them had once again started walking, they hadn't gone far before a dark cave had come into view. He had tried to persuade his partner that it would not be a wise idea to enter it, but the darkness seemed to instantly have grabbed Matt's attention. The boy had stared at the entrance for few moments before finally making his way toward the cave. Gabumon had followed reluctantly, but the deeper into the ground they went, the more uneasy the digimon felt. Something was wrong.

"Matt? Maybe we should head back. We could get lost in here," suggested Gabumon, trying not to sound as nervous as he felt.

"Whatever..."

The indifferent answer he had recieved was not what the boy's partner had been hoping for. "Listen, Matt. I really think we should leave this place. I - I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it just doesn't feel right. We shouldn't be here," tried the digimon again, no longer trying to hide his worry. Couldn't Matt feel it? Was he too preoccupied with those dreams to notice?

Gabumon was surprised to see his partner finally stop. Was he going to heed his warning? He waited for him to turn around, but the boy just stood there unmoving, staring down at the ground before him. The wolf-like digimon wondered if perhaps instead he had angered the boy when, with a deep breath, his partner at last spoke.

"What am I doing?"

His digimon looked up at him, confused. He would have liked to ask the boy the same question, but it hadn't seemed quite appropriate.

Matt looked at his hands. "I'm such a failure. I used to think that I was brought to the Digital World so that I could look after TK, but he doesn't even need me anymore. I couldn't save him from being kidnapped by Puppetmon, but he still escaped on his own." His eyes narrowed at the memory of TK bounding back to them, proudly proclaiming that he'd destroyed Puppetmon's controls to the forest. "And yet," he continued slowly, "even now, I want to be there for him. But I can't! These stupid dreams won't leave me alone!" His hands clenched into tight fists. "I can't stop wondering about them. I should be out helping the others, I know, but..." He was unsure of how to finish his sentence. Of course he knew he should help, that was why he was in the Digital World in the first place, wasn't it? But they seemed to be doing just fine without him. Machinedramon was defeated. He hadn't so much as even laid eyes on the digimon. And as distracted and anxious as he'd been lately, would he be of any use anyway? He couldn't even help TK before the dreams started tormenting him.

_This - this wasn't supposed to happen!_

"But Matt, it wasn't your fault that Puppetmon got TK!" Gabumon was at a loss as to how to deal with his partner in his current state. The dreams were bothering him far more than he would have even imagined, but he had to try. "I'm sure that by helping the others fight you'd be able to forget these dreams, at least for a while. They need you now! The dreams can wait, can't they?" But as he spoke, he could tell that his words had no effect on the boy. In fact, the darkness only seemed to thicken around them.

"I'm useless," continued the Child of Friendship as if he hadn't even heard his digimon's voice, "It - it wasn't supposed to turn out like this, was it?"

_There has to be someway to stop it._

Matt's breathing grew harsher and more ragged. He reached out his hand and leaned against the cave wall for support. Waves of dizziness were causing him to lose his sense of balance, and an almost unbearable pressure was building in his head. He didn't even notice Gabumon's cries, frantically asking if he was alright.

"I - I have to stop them," he panted, "There has to be a way. Make them stop!" 'As long as the dreams stop, it'll all be ok, right?' he thought to himself, his mind reeling. Suddenly feeling weak, he collapsed to his knees, hand still on the wall in an attempt to keep himself steady. He squeezed his eyes shut as his vision began to blur. "TK..." he whispered. If the dreams would only leave him alone, he could finally see him again. He knew he'd be fine without him, but still, he wanted to be there! What if...

He slowly opened his eyes. 'No, Tai's there. He'd watch out for him.' "Tai's never treated TK like a child... but that's how I always treated him..." he said, trying to calm down his breathing, "All I do is think of myself..."

He was worrying about Tai at a time like this? Gabumon tried to wrap his mind around this as he watched his partner panting on the ground, gasping for breath, desperately trying to think of what to do. But as he looked on in fear, a pitch black fog began wrapping itself around his crumpled body, almost as if the darkness of the cave itself were trying to seize him. As Matt's eyes grew dark, Gabumon knew that if he didn't hurry, his friend would be gone forever.

"You can't compare yourself to Tai!" insisted the digimon, tears creeping into his eyes. "How can you say you only think of yourself? You're always looking out for TK, and..." He blinked, trying in vain to keep the tears from falling. "...and how do you think I would feel if you weren't here?"

"I - no, I am selfish. Everyone else - Tai - they... they..."

_They're perfect._

Without a seconds warning, images began flashing through his mind so fast that he had no idea as to what he was seeing. Closing his eyes again, he tried to block out the mysterious voice which seemed to be growing louder by the second. Colors swirled in front of his eyes, and for a second he could swear he could see his old hometown, but it quickly was replaced by the lush surroundings of the Digital World as it used to be before the Dark Masters had a chance to take it over. The boy grabbed his head and screamed. All he could hear was that voice, but it was different from before. It was no longer sad but satisfied - pleased, in fact. And it terrified him.

_I can use them, and they'd never suspect a thing._

One by one, he saw his friend's faces swim before his eyes, a blurry mess of colors and movement, making it difficult to distinguish one from the other. "Why? Why, why?" he gasped, tears beginning to fall to the cold cavern floor. Why was this happening to him? Use them?

"Matt! Listen to me!" cried Gabumon frantically.

_But it'll take some time._

His eyes still closed, he whispered a timid, "Gabumon..." Hearing his name, the digimon ran in front of his partner and placed a paw on one of his shaking shoulders. "I'm here, Matt. I've told you before, I won't leave you, no matter what."

_And I'll have to appear as someone they can trust so that they'll listen._

The boy's eyes instantly flew open, the images and voice gone as suddenly as they had started. Gabumon hesitantly tried to look into his partner's face, but the boy was still shaking, although the mysterious fog seemed to have left him. "Matt?" he said quietly. But the boy didn't hear him. All he could think of was the picture that was still lingering in his mind.

"It's not true... I can't..." But he couldn't even bring himself to finish his sentence, for the last image that had appeared before his eyes was not only the clearest, but the most frightening.

to be continued...

A/N: I realize that quite a bit of this chapter was actually a retelling of some parts, but it was necessary to go with the flow of the fic, so I do apologize if this first chapter (or prologue of sorts, I suppose) seemed a little boring. I tried to cut out unnecessary parts, or at least trim them down. But I've been writing this fic for a long time now, actually, and I just recently got back into it. It was originally supposed to be a one shot, but it kept getting longer so I decided to try and break it up into 3 parts instead (the current number I'm shooting for). Just know that a lot of thought has gone into this fic in order to make it unique and interesting, and I hope that shows through in the last chapters especially.

Any feedback you may currently have would be appreciated, and thanks for taking the time to check out my little fic!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Still don't own Digimon, though I almost wish I did as Savers has me worried...

**Voices of Realities Past **

**Chapter 2**

"Agumon warp digivolve to... WarGreymon!"

Piedmon had shown his face at last. The exhausted Gatomon was quietly resting in Kari's arms after having defeated LadyDevimon in a rather brutal battle while Tentomon waited impatiently by Izzy for the other Digidestined to arrive so that he too could join WarGreymon against the Dark Master. The present children all watched nervously as Piedmon managed to evade all of WarGreymon's attacks thus far.

"Get him, WarGreymon!" cried Tai, fists clenched, as their enemy was thrown against a wall of solid rock. He knew that the chances of defeating him like this were probably nonexistent, but they had to give it their all. He had to buy Matt time to arrive. If WarGreymon could slow him down, once MetalGarurumon showed up, not only could he take over the fight, but the others would be free to join as well. Sora and TK would find Mimi and Joe too, he could feel it. Soon, soon they would all be together. Soon this whole nightmare would end. WarGreymon just had to hold on until that time came.

"Trump Sword!"

Snapped out of his thoughts, the young leader looked on as his partner was brought to his knees with a cry of pain from the attack. The Mega quickly got up, however and slashed at the clown digimon with one of his claws only to be blocked by two of his swords.

Piedmon smirked and chuckled at his opponent's efforts. "Getting tired, are we?"

WarGreymon didn't respond and slashed at him with his other claw instead. The Dark Master jumped away with ease and released a Clown Trick attack which hit him square in the chest, knocking the Warrior of Courage backwards.

"That's it!" cried Izzy, angrily, an emotion the younger boy usually kept in check. "Tentomon!" He turned to his digimon, digivice in hand. This couldn't go on! WarGreymon couldn't possibly win; he needed help and fast.

"No! Izzy, stop!" shouted Tai. He knew as well as anyone else that WarGreymon would likely not last very long, but he had to hold on as long as possible. "We have to stick to the plan. Matt will be here soon, along with everyone else. We have to have faith in them!" He stared at the younger boy, that ever present stubborn look in his eyes. He would not give in.

The Child of Knowledge looked furious. "Look Tai, I know we have to have faith in our friends, but WarGreymon needs help! If something happens to him now -" He didn't have time to finish his thought however as the Mega in question fell forward, having taken another Trump Sword attack from behind. The pain he was feeling was obvious from the way he tried to get back up only to collapse again. Without thinking, Tai cried out to the fallen digimon and immediately took off running towards him.

"Tai, no!" shouted Kari, Gatomon jumping out of her arms, ready to run after the boy.

"Look out!" But Izzy's warning was too late as Piedmon aimed his next attack at the young Digidestined himself. Rocks flew up from the ground, and Tai was thrown backwards as he was pummeled by the onslaught of debris, his skin easily cut by the sharp rocks. But just as a giant boulder rushed toward him, WarGreymon stood up and blocked the attack with his claws, grunting under the force. But he stood firm, determined to keep his partner out of harm's way.

Piedmon saw his chance, and he took it. Aiming once more for the Child of Courage, he yelled, "Clown Trick!", shooting a large ball of energy from his fingertips. Tai lay there, only able to watch as his digimon once more jumped in the way to shield him from the attack, taking the full force of it right in his chest. His heavy armor imeidiately cracked under the pressure, and the Mega let out a cry of pain and he was thrown backwards. He hit the ground with a loud thud, his head striking hard on the rock, rendering the digimon unconscious.

His partner watched horrified, willing his body to move. He reached his hand out weakly toward the still form of WarGreymon, whispering his name hoarsely before even that was too painful. Tai's head fell to the ground, breathing heavily from both the pain of the scrapes on his body and the feeling of complete and utter failure. He could vaguely hear Izzy's cries for him to get up, but it wasn't until the sound of galloping feet reached his ears that he finally reopened his eyes. There, riding atop of MetalGarurumon was Matt, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Tai!" he called, racing toward the fallen boy. He silently urged his partner to run faster, his previously preoccupied mind now reeling. As if somehow understanding the boy, the Mega seemed to pick up speed as he entered the battlefield.

Piedmon stood off to the side and simply watched in amusement. The Child of Friendship had finally arrived, as had been expected. The Digidestined weren't the only ones awaiting their friend. If everything had gone as planned, this fight would soon be brought to an end, and he wouldn't even be forced to use half of his remaining strength. "Perhaps I shall just have to see how this little tale plays out," he muttered to himself with a confident smirk.

"Tai! Hang on!" Matt jumped off of his digimon and raced over to their fallen leader, vaguely wondering how he had managed to get as badly beaten as his partner only a few feet away. He slid to his knees and gently cradled Tai's head in his arms while MetalGarurumon kept on toward his fellow Mega. Just the sight of either one of them was enough to cause the feeling of guilt in the pit of his stomach to become almost unbearable. The young boy in his arms was covered in scrapes, and his breathing was uneven.

But despite this, the smaller boy just looked up and smiled weakly. "I knew you'd make it," he said simply, his voice obviously strained, "I never doubted you, Matt."

Tears crept into his eyes as Matt knew that he meant it. After all of his wanderings and hesitation, he knew he didn't deserve it. After all, had he been there to begin with, this wouldn't have happened. But he also knew that the other boy would soon be taking back those words. His body shook as he quietly replied, "Thank you, Tai, for believing in me. And I'm sorry for coming back too late." His voice grew stronger as he continued. He had to convince him. "You have to know just how important your friendship is to me. No matter what happens, you have to understand that!"

Before he could go on, however, he felt a sudden tingling in his chest. He looked down as his Crest of Friendship sprang to life, emitting a bright light that engulfed the two boys and their digimon partners. Tai could feel the pain leaving his body as the warm light touched his skin. As the light began to fade, he blinked and tried to sit up. Clutching his head, he whirled around to see that WarGreymon had also been mysteriously healed.

"The power of friendship, huh?" he thought to himself with a smile. Who knew that the Crests held such a power? He turned back to Matt, wanting to get a quick thank you in before Piedmon decided to start attacking again, but his smile faded as he looked into his friend's troubled face. His body was still shaking, his hands now clenched into tight fists at his sides. He was staring blankly at the ground, eyes narrow as if deep in thought.

"Matt?"

"Matt!"

The two boys suddenly looked up at the familiar voice. TK was waving wildly from Angemon's arms, Birdramon carrying Sora and Joe not far behind. As they drew closer, Tai stood up, ready to run and greet them, but he suddenly felt dizzy, his strength having not fully returned to him yet. Matt immediately got to his feet and steadied the boy.

"Take it easy," he said simply, wrapping their leader's arm around his neck so he could better support his weight. Tai looked up at him, worried. He could tell that Matt was extremely anxious about something. It seemed to be something more than just nerves before their last big fight, something deeper. "But what could be bothering him so much?" he thought, "And at a time like this?"

As soon as Angemon had landed, the little boy in his arms jumped out and ran towards his brother, a huge smile lighting up his face. "I knew you'd be here!" he cried as he threw his arms around the Child of Friendship, "Joe said he'd found you, but before he could reach you, you were running away, toward Spiral Mountain, and here you are! I was so worried about you!" TK looked up at Matt's face, nothing but pure joy at being reunited safely showing on his own. The older boy tried to smile back as he wrapped his free arm around him, but he could tell it wasn't a very convincing one as his brother's once bright face started to reflect his concern.

"I've missed you too, TK," he said quietly, trying to reassure the younger boy.

Sora watched the three boys a bit nervously. There simply wasn't time for them to just stand out there! Piedmon could attack at any given second - so why hadn't he? He was just standing there, a confident smirk on his lips. She glanced over at her fellow Digidestined. Joe looked just as nervous as she did, Izzy actually seemed a bit angry, while Kari appeared the calmest of all of them, but every one of them would glance toward the Mega as if the same question were on their minds as well.

"Why is Piedmon just standing there?" she asked, finally voicing her feelings, hoping that one of the two that had been there the whole time knew something that she did not, though she wasn't counting on it.

"He's waiting," was all the Child of Knowledge responded with, his fists clenched. He was planning something, or already had. That much was obvious. There was simply no other explanation for his willingness to just watch and wait as the Chosen gathered together. He had to be stopped before he could fully see his plan through! "Sora, we have to attack him now!" he said firmly, gaining both Joe and Kari's attention as well, "If we don't, he'll -"

"We made it!" Suddenly distracted, everyone quickly turned as Mimi's voice rang out across the battlefield. She was smiling from atop a Unimon while Lillymon, Ogremon, Frigimon, Meramon, and other assorted digimon followed close behind. As Joe had said, the girl had indeed brought a healthy amount of digimon willing to help them in their fight.

Izzy's face relaxed a bit, clearly happy to see reinforcements. "Alright, now's our chance!" he shouted with a smile. He turned to his partner, his digivice and crest springing to life. "Tentomon!"

But before the Rookie had time to evolve, the five Chosen and their allies let out a cry and backed away as something large landed abruptly in front of them. When they looked up to see who or what had surprised them, they gasped as they looked into the growling face of MetalGarurumon.

"Not so fast," he warned gently.

Everyone's eyes fell immediately on the Child of Friendship, willing for this to not be happening again. Was this the answer he had come to by wandering by himself for so long? Had he truly decided that they, the ones he had been with for so long, fighting alongside from the very beginning, were his enemies? It just didn't seem real - it couldn't be true. Could it?

"Matt, what's going on?" Tai demanded, trying not to sound too impatient, as he let go of the boy to stand on his own. He had believed his friend's words from just moments ago, so why? Something was bothering him, that much was clear, but could whatever it was really be solved this way and at this time? Or had he truly betrayed them - no, he refused to believe that!

"Matt..."

"What are you doing?"

"What's going on?"

"Now's not the time for this!"

Matt closed his eyes. "Maybe not," he began quietly. It was too late to turn back now. He'd just challenged his fellow Digidestined, and no amount of apologizing would make that go away so easily. Even if he did back out now, they would all be too distracted to even have a hope of defeating the last Dark Master. At the thought of the Mega, he opened his eyes and glanced back to see Piedmon staring at him, a smile on his face. The young boy's eyes narrowed as he continued, "But I have some questions I need answered first."

Assuming that he was being addressed, their opponent suddenly jumped down from the ledge on which he stood, landing only a few feet away from the boy. TK clung tighter to his brother, and even Tai seemed nervous at the digimon's close proximity. With an air of calm arrogance, he finally spoke. "Pleasant dreams?"

Everyone just stared at the two wondering what could possibly be going on, a confused look crossing Tai's face. 'Pleasant dreams'? What kind of a question was that? But as if he wasn't perplexed enough, his friend's answer only made him more curious.

"So those were your doing." The boy had guessed as much. Who else would show him such things? Only Piedmon and his allies had anything to gain by giving him such knowledge, knowledge he wasn't even sure he should trust just yet. But he just simply couldn't ignore it. There were far too many coincidences for him to do so.

Piedmon gave an elaborate bow. "I would like to keep all the credit, but surely you realize that it's not all mine to take." The Dark Master stood up straight, staring the boy in the eye.

Matt glared back, eyes narrow. "We'll see about that." But where to begin? He had so many questions, he wasn't quite sure what to address first. He glanced over at MetalGarurumon whose attention was divided between watching the Chosen and his own partner, but when the wolfish digimon noticed the unsure look on the young boy's face, he tried to give the most reassuring smile he could muster and a small nod. The digimon himself was uneasy with the entire situation, but he had to be there for Matt, no matter what came of it. Even if it were to mean fighting against those he once thought of as allies.

"Perhaps," began Piedmon, breaking the silence, "you would like to hear an old story." The boy simply nodded in response, so the Mega continued. "Once upon a time, there was a small island that was created to hold all types of digimon. There were lush forests, deep lakes, vast deserts, tall mountains, and even a portion that had snow year round. In the forest region lived a Tsunomon, and every day he would be visited by someone, a human in fact." He paused for effect as the Digidestined all exchanged looks - a human visiting not only the Digital World but a Tsunomon.

"This human was the caretaker of the island and all of it's inhabitants," he said, grabbing their attention once more. "If ever something was to go wrong, he would be the one to put a stop to it and fix the problem. But he took special care of the Tsunomon, ever since he was a mere digiegg. In fact, he would often bring another, smaller human with him so they could keep each other company while he was working. The two would play together often, the first human watching them, studying them, if you will. The Tsunomon was very happy, but it wasn't to last as the smaller human was sickly. After only a few short weeks, the human died, and the first human seemed to simply disappear."

Piedmon's gaze grew darker as he continued with his story. "With the human caretaker gone, the island fell into chaos. Hoping the human would one day return, the Tsunomon evolved into Gabumon in order to keep the peace as the human once had. But as a mere Rookie, he wasn't strong enough to take on the more powerful and unruly Champions. It was also around this time that a virus began to take hold of the island and it's occupants. Before this incident, only Data and Vaccine types were in existence, but the digimon began evolving into creatures never seen before, thus creating what you now know as the Virus type digimon."

Tai folded his arms, a curious expression on his face. "So you're saying that before all of that happened, there weren't any Virus types and that all of the ones that exist now are actually just regular digimon who happened to catch this virus? Even you?"

The Mega's gaze fell on the boy. "My, my, it seems you do have a brain hidden somewhere behind those goggles," he taunted.

Tai and WarGreymon both looked as if they wanted to jump the clown digimon right then and there. But the boy continued on, though his tone was a bit harsher. "So what, are you telling us this so that we'll feel sorry for you? Or do you just want us to nurse you back to health or something? Or maybe you think Matt was this human since Gabumon is now his partner and you want to kill him before he takes care of things like he did before?"

"Tai," said the Child of Friendship sharply before the other boy could continue, "Just let him finish." Their leader looked at him curiously, but he decided to keep quiet. He still wasn't sure how or if all of this did indeed involve his friend, but it seemed that Matt already knew something that he and the rest of the Digidestined did not. But could the other boy really have been the one to just let the Digital World digress into a virus infested existence? Realizing what Tai must have been thinking, the other boy said simply, "I want to hear what he has to say. Then you can accuse him all you want."

"How thoughtful of you," Piedmon smirked, "Perhaps Thoughtfulness would have been a more suitable crest than that of Friendship, hm?" Matt's fists were suddenly tightly clenched at his sides, a pained look on his face. "But perhaps we shall get back to the tale at hand and save that for later."

His voice grew serious once more as he picked up the story where he had left off. "Once the virus struck, the Digital World's very existence began to change. It started to grow, larger than had ever been anticipated, in order to make room for all of it's occupants, and many digimon began to leave the island. But the Gabumon refused, convinced that the human caretaker would one day return. Many years went by with no sign of him, and the Gabumon eventually evolved into Wizardmon due to the harsh cruelties he endured daily and the strength he had gained from them. It was during this time that at last, the human reappeared.

"The Wizardmon recognized him at once, but he soon realized that the human he had once known was gone. He was no longer the kind caretaker, but instead he felt disgusted at what had become of the Digital World in his absence. He even went so far as to blame the Wizardmon himself for what had happened, and vowed to destroy the Digital World once and for all. The digimon tried to convince him otherwise, but in return he was left alone yet again, and this time all the human left behind was a promise of destruction.

"It was not long after this that the Wizardmon himself caught the virus. It seeped to his very core, poisoning his mind, and leaving him only with thoughts of his beloved human's betrayal. He soon evolved into the first Phantomon, an Ultimate level Virus type. He would go around attacking innocent digimon purely for fun, as he no longer had a goal to live for. But as time passed, he grew tired of the island's inhabitants and found his way to the nearest continent. There, he tested his strength against more powerful digimon, where he realized that in order to be the strongest, he must find a way to evolve further, beyond that of any digimon thus far.

"As more years passed, the Phantomon only grew stronger, knowing nothing but battle, until at last he had reached his goal. He was the first digimon to ever reach the Mega level, and thus it was thought for a long time that one could only reach the Mega level if they were willing to become a Virus type. But he knew that one day the human would somehow return and try to follow through with his plans to destroy the Digital World, and since he had already gained his ultimate power, the Mega set himself a new goal - to set up rule over the Digital World so that the human would not be able to fulfill his goals."

"That was you?" Matt asked suddenly, staring at the remaining Dark Master. "That Tsunomon, it was you all along." His eyes narrowed as if he were remembering something, lost in his own thoughts. Tai glanced over to him, wishing he could figure out just what was going through his head right then.

Piedmon's voice took on an ominous tone as he responded. "Indeed, I was once that pitiful excuse for a digimon, desperately clinging to the past and the life of living as a human's pet," he spat out, his disgust dripping from his words.

"But why should we believe you?" asked Sora. His story sounded so suspicious, as if he were trying to convince them that he was not the true enemy and that this human in fact was, even though he himself admitted to slaughtering hundreds upon thousands of digimon. "How can we believe what you are telling us when none of the digimon we've befriended, Gennai, or even the digital being that needed Kari to speak mentioned anything even remotely like that?"

"Yeah, and what does this have to do with us, anyway?" added Mimi, obviously gaining courage from Sora's lead. "It's not like we're here to destroy the Digital World - we're here to save it and our own from you!"

The Mega digimon smirked once more as he turned toward the two girls. "Really? Is that so? Then tell me, just what is happening to the portions of Spiral Mountain that are disappearing once you defeat a Dark Master? Or perhaps a better question is what happens to the digimon that once lived in those areas?"

At these questions, all of the Chosen stood silent, their growing concern clearly shown on their faces. Matt merely stared at the ground, one arm around TK who was now gripping his shirt fiercely. The young boy looked up into his brother's face, tears threatening to fall from his blue eyes, and quietly asked, "It's not true, is it? We're saving the DigiWorld, aren't we?" When his brother didn't reply, the younger let go of him and turned toward Piedmon.

"It's not true!" he yelled, fists clenched, "You're lying! Everything is just waiting to be reconfigured once we beat you!" A few stray tears fell down his cheeks. "After that, Whamon and Piximon and everyone else will come back at Primary Village, and the land and stuff will all go back to normal!" TK wiped his tears away fiercely, a determined look on his reddened face.

Piedmon watched as the faces of the Digidestined and their digimon friends became more hopeful at the younger boy's words. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Is that what you have been told? You humans are such fools, always eager to believe if the outcome is to your liking." The clown digimon took a step toward the little boy, Matt immediately pulling his brother back. "The Crest of Hope, is it? Of course anyone would listen to you if you have that. A smart move, choosing Hope as the crest for the youngest. It's so easy to manipulate them when they are young and naive, isn't it? Though some of the others seem to have caused you a bit of trouble, haven't they? There was at least one you just didn't know what to give, so you gave him one that you thought would keep him from ruining your plans. 'Friendship' - what a pitiful attempt to keep him in check. It's too bad that very crest is what made him so very useful to me. You placed that seed of doubt in him the moment he found it, allowing my Nightmare Soldiers to distract his mind long enough for my virus to show him the truth. And now that he knows, everyone will know that you are in fact to blame for this..."

The Mega turned toward the larger cluster of Digidestined and glared at Izzy.

"...Izumi Koushiro."

to be continued...

A/N: Whew, took a lot to try and get this chapter to end with that little bit of info, but Piedmon's back story was longer than I thought it would be, so it worked out. Hope it wasn't too boring - it's hard for me to gauge this fic since I've known all along where I was heading with it (though some slight alterations have sprung up along the way). Chapter 3 will have everything explained, and hopefully some more action, though admittedly action isn't my strong point in case you couldn't tell... At this point I think I'll be able to end it with just 3 like I'd planned, though it may end up being 4 if 3 starts getting too long. So we'll see how it goes.

Let me know what you think so far!


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